Part 338
Becca wandered out onto the patio and stretched. The warm sun felt incredibly good on her body and she sighed in contentment. Garrett and Nick were both asleep, Bob was off somewhere and the house was blissfully silent. Jane had even managed to charm Jesse into helping her bake cookies. Now there's one for the books, she giggled to herself.
Shaking her head at the irony of Sarah's daughter doing something even remotely domestic with Nick's mother, she settled onto a lounge chair with her portable CD player and headphones.
"Becca, I can't believe how adorable Garrett is!" Kathy gushed, plopping down on the chair next to Becca. Seeing her eyes closed, she stammered an apology. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bother you-"
"Kathy, wait, it's okay," Becca laughed. "Stay with me, please? I was just enjoying how beautiful this place is!"
"It's nothing like home," she said, "at least not MY home, anyway."
"Mine either," Becca agreed. "Florida is hot, but at east we have trees and grass."
"It's already hot," Kathy said, twisting her thick auburn hair into a ponytail. "I'm gonna go for a swim, wanta come?"
"Oh, I wish I could," Becca sighed. "I can't do pools or tubs for a few weeks yet." Or other things, either, she thought to herself with a grin.
"Oh. Then I'll stay here with you," Kathy said politely.
"Don’t be silly, go enjoy yourself. I'm going to close my eyes and listen to Aaron's newest album."
"It's so wonderful," Kathy gushed with a sigh. "He's going to make a video of my favorite song."
"Which one?" Becca asked, looking at the CD case.
"Track number seven," she said with a dreamy statement.
Becca smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. Oh mercy, this girl was so far gone. It reminded her of herself and track number five of 'Millennium'. "That' s a beautiful song, Kathy. I love it when Nick and Aaron do ballads. It shows such a different side of them."
Kathy sighed again, with more feeling. "Uh huh. Well, I’m gonna go swim, you relax. I'm sure Jane has everything in the house under control."
Becca rolled her eyes. "With Jesse in there? Surely you jest." They laughed together as Kathy pulled off her t-shirt and dove into the crystal blue water.
Closing her eyes, Becca pressed 'play' and let Aaron's catchy tunes distract her for a while. She giggled listening to Nick rap and shook her head. He was so damn cute sometimes. Somehow she dozed off for a few minutes, but awakened to the soft sounds of a guitar and piano in her ears. Glancing at the digital readout, she smiled. Track number seven. Aaron's young voice began to sing and she was amazed at how much he and Nick sounded alike.
There's something I've got to say,
You're always with me even though you're far away.
Talking to you on my 'cell
Just the sound of your voice makes my heart melt
Oh girl, it's true,
I'm all about you, I’m all about us
Oh baby you never have to question my love.
And every night there's a new crowd,
But it's always you I'm singing about.
There is only one these words are going out to,
Oh girl, I'm all about you.
As she listened to the song she watched Kathy. Aaron had joined her and they were sitting together on the side of the pool, not two inches apart. Their heads leaning together, they smiled as they shared some teenage secret. Kathy smiled, her dimples framing her soft mouth and Aaron reached out to brush a stray lock of hair off of her face. He must have said something outrageous, because Kathy pushed him playfully, and then began to laugh as he fell into the pool. He came up for air, spluttering and splashing Kathy while she shrieked.
Out of nowhere, Becca had an idea. Spotting Nick's sketchbook on the table she opened to a blank page and began to draw. She paused long enough to set the song on auto-repeat, and before she knew it, she had over a dozen pages filled, with lyrical quotes at the bottom of each. She was so absorbed in her work she never saw Nick standing beside her, looking over her shoulder. She jumped, startled, as he swung a leg over the lounge chair and sat behind her, pulling her back against his chest.
"Nick!" She pulled off her headphones and looked back at him. He looked much better than when she'd left him, but his hair had that just-out-of-bed look and she wished with all her heart that it was October 25th already.
"Whatcha doing, sweetheart?"
"Watching your brother and his girl," she grinned.
"No, I meant those." He pointed to her drawings and reached for the book.
"Oh, just some doodles," she shrugged.
"Doodles? Bec, these are great," he said, flipping through the pages. "The words, those are from AC's new song."
"Mm hmm. I was watching them and the words just fit with what I was seeing."
"What about this one?" Becca had sketched Aaron in what was obviously a limousine, a faceless crowd outside the windows. His face held an empty sadness.
"It's right before a show, I guess. The song is all about missing the one you love, and I kind of used what you always tell 'me'. You know, how you think of me when you sing your love songs with the guys."
"Wow, Bec, you have to show this to mom and AC." He kissed her shoulder and grinned as she squirmed.
"Nick, it's just some silly drawings."
"No, Bec, it's the storyboard for Aaron's new video."
"Say what?!"
"Bec, this is perfect. It's the concept they've been looking for. They were going to do concert footage, but this will blow them away."
"You really think so?"
"Yes, I really think so. C'mon, let's go show mom. And bring the CD with you."
Thirty minutes and several phone calls later, Aaron had a new artistic director for his next video.